Synonyms:  ache, craving, desire, emptiness, eyes for, famine, famishment, gluttony, greed, greediness, hungriness, itch, longing, mania, munchies, ravenousness, starvation, vacancy, void, voracity, want, yearning.

How hungry are you? Right this moment may now be thinking, “food sounds great”, but I’m thinking of another HUNGER – your hunger for success and progression. Your drive and determination to be the best you can be.

Some people say that hunger is a feeling to fill the stomach but it is also a feeling to fill the heart. We all hunger success in one way or another, but some of us achieve a greater success because of a greater hunger.

What separates one student from another?

Lets take two students, both have busy lives, both work hard, both get home at 6:30pm and normally they would both go to a 7:30pm class.  One of them will always go to class at 7:30 no matter how their day has been; the other might, from time to time, skip classes and stay at home. The difference is that one has more hunger than the other. If only the second student realised that once one enters the dojo, all the tiredness and stress of their working day goes away and once again they can move a little closer to achieving their ultimate goal.

“Sweat plus sacrifice equals success”  Charles O. Finley

As instructors teach their class, they might notice that students who are closer to black belt might train with more intensity than a student who is a little further away. This is because some students can see the light at the end of the tunnel a little clearer than others. In other words, with their goal clear in mind, their hunger level is elevated.

If you have not developed your hunger, then you risk becoming complacent, which has catastrophic long-term effects. People who lack a hunger for progress risk falling into the trap of just going ‘through the motions’.  Whilst they physically attend class, mentally they have not been entirely there, and as a result develop poor technique habits. They may return home having enjoyed themselves, but at the same time have not improved. The great thing about hunger is that it leads to self-discipline.

“Casual training habits leads to casualties”   Kancho Robert Sullivan

Be hungrier than the student standing next to you. Having more desire, drive and determination. Have that fire in your belly to push you to levels you could never have imagined.

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek”    Mario Andretti

Do you remember the first time you learnt a new kata. You find yourself in the dojo practising, in the lounge room practising and immersing yourself in the kata.  Your body is being fuelled by the thirst for knowledge. That’s hunger.

Hunger is not letting go. The relentless pursuit of the goal.  The tunnel vision to block out everything else and to just go for it. The ‘whatever it takes’ attitude. Decide that you want it more than anything you have ever desired and watch your hunger grow and your appetite will be filled.